No matter what genre you listen to, all of us will have those key defining albums; music that stays with you forever. They seem like the perfect package – great songs, solid musicianship, fantastic recording and mastering quality, and an evocative story to match. Sometimes it can even be hard to pin it down to just a handful. The chances … Read More
The reissue timebomb – Is the music industry too reliant on its back-catalogue?
The internet is absolutely brimming with articles proclaiming that vinyl is back. Articles like this one: The Biggest Music Comeback of 2014 – Vinyl Records – The Wall Street Journal Or this one… Weaned on CDs, They’re Reaching for Vinyl – The New York Times Everywhere you turn, there’s news of blossoming sales and the irony of an analogue renaissance in the … Read More
5 reasons why Vinyl is the only physical format worth owning
The CD is dead – God rest its soul; long live the vinyl record. It’s an outcome that few would have predicted as CD’s became widely available through the 1980’s, but it appears that if current trends continue, vinyl could indeed outlive CD. Let’s take a look at some of the numbers: Last year, digital streaming was up 54% while … Read More
High-resolution audio is a waste of time if the mastering sucks
First and foremost, what I’m about to say is merely my opinion and no doubt many will disagree with me. High-resolution audio is one of those topics that gets people worked up, and that’s cool, music fanatics are passionate and often fiery people – that’s what makes them great. All the same, I’m prepared to stick my neck out on … Read More
The Vinyl experience – Two Turntables are better than one
What I’m about to recommend here might sound strange from a blog that advocates the importance of sound quality, but stick with me here folks; there’s method to my madness. It’s true, I do advocate the importance of high-quality sound when listening to your music, but first of all – and above that – I believe music should be an … Read More
Stop listening to Music on YouTube – seriously!
Seriously, do yourself a favour and stop it – you deserve better. Yes, it’s convenient, and yes, sometimes it’s nice to watch the accompanied music video; it can even be a great way to discover new artists or rare releases. But please, please don’t use it as your primary listening platform.
An Introduction to Digital Audio Formats
We all know and appreciate the convenience of digital audio, and most people are comfortable with the most common format of MP3. Move beyond this, however, and things can start to get a little confusing. Through the course of this post, I will attempt to shed some light on the basics of file formats, and hopefully, help improve your listening … Read More
Is Rock Dead, Dying, or Just Changing?
As a guitar player and someone who was brought up on classic rock music, a recent article by Classic Rock Magazine (CR) caught my attention. It poses the question, “Is Rock Dying?” and acts as a prelude to their 25 page report on “The Crisis Facing Rock”.
Does Vinyl Really Sound Better than CD?
This blog (when I have time to update it during my downtime working for Shure in the UK) is fast becoming focused on the resurgence of vinyl. So far, I’ve covered vinyls potential in the changing face of music retail, and I also went on to describe the benefits of vinyl in the well-documented loudness war. Taking this into consideration, I thought it … Read More
Music – You can pick your friends but you can’t pick your audience?
A short while ago, UK Prime Minister David Cameron declared himself a long term Smith’s fan when he chose the bands hit This Charming Man on Desert Island Discs. When news of this got back to the bands guitarist Johnny Marr, he reacted by claiming to “ban” him from liking the band on claims that they were “not his kind … Read More